We’re not going to drone on about the current fiscal and cultural situations; if you’re familiar with Grand Rants, you’ve seen it all before; and if you’re not, you can search our site and see post after post after post demonstrating the insanity of the financial numbers those clowns in Washington DC have been throwing around.

We’ve made our point. And given the previous post, it’s becoming very plain that people are, in fact, madder than hell. How much longer will they take it?

T’aint no question anymore. As a culture, we have changed, just as Obama promised. While former Pres. Bush left us with a $1.75 trillion deficit for year 2009, President Obama has just jacked that up via his $3.5 trillion (not to mention another $1.1 trillion just for fun) budget proposal for 2010.

But that’s just the genteel, politically-correct, partial total; we’re actually in hock to the tune of some $53 trillion when Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the like are tossed into the pot. If we had been teetering on the edge before, clearly we are now plunging down a very slippery slope.

Where Bush spent the money keeping us alive, freeing 50 million people, and hunting down 500 tons of uranium yellow cake, Obama plans on cutting the military budget, walking away from Iraq, and insisting that the surge never even worked.

But we’re getting sidetracked. Yes, the Bush TARP plan was a dumb idea, as is Obama’s position on the surge. Fine. Unfortunately, the Obama/Pelosi/Reid axis have decided that we as a country will soon be evolving into full socialist mode.

Whether we like it or not, we are speeding downhill on an icy road in the dark with the headlights off. It’s a hell of a ride. And we may arrive whole in our evolved socialist state, changed as a country, but relatively unscathed (if we’re very lucky). However, if the car careens off the road, there will be an almighty crash, the likes of which has not been seen since 1776. Evolution, or revolution… who knows?

UPDATE: Well, well. According to Ben Smith at Politico.com, it looks like the U.S. is pulling out of Durban II. The report leaves it unclear if we really are pulling out, or if we’re just going to sit on the sidelines for a while, but it looks like it might be a step in the right direction, anyway.

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The Short Form:

Dear Israel,

You’re screwed.

Love,
America

It is becoming clearer all the time that President Obama has no great affection for Israel. Which is sad, really as Israel is one of our staunchest allies, and the only real democracy (and the only developed nation) in the Middle East.

Some of us have been aware of the President’s leanings since he first started to campaign for the job he now holds. The evidence was there: 20+ years in a church that spews not only anti-American but also anti-Semitic bile, the endorsement by Nation of Islam leader “Calypso Louie” Farrakhan, the longstanding friendship with former PLO press agent Rashid Khalidi.

The book was open, it remained for us to read the words. Sadly, many of us didn’t.

And now we are seeing the continuation of that mindset, presented as policy-makers and shaped as executive decisions.

President Obama’s first official call to a foreign leader, to Mahmoud Abbas, “Palestinian” President.

His decision to participate in at least the planning stages of Durban II, the UN “anti-racism” conference which thinly disguises the UN’s own virulent anti-Semitic leanings.

The almost-one-trillion dollars the President has pledged to Gaza, which will never actually do the citizens of Gaza any good but will instead doubltess get many of them and also many Israelis killed.

The appointment of Chas Freeman to head Obama’s National Intelligence Council: anti-Semite, in the pocket of Saudi Arabia, pro-Chinese Communist. This is the man who will decide what intelligence information reaches the President.

Each of these things taken alone might not mean much of anything. Add them, and the other instances that doubtless exist, and the bottom line becomes ominously clear. President Obama has no regard for Israel.

So, friend, ally, democracy, chosen people, this American is sorry to say that you’re probably on your own when it comes to support from the American President. But for whatever it’s worth, this American citizens (as well as most, I’d say) still stands proudly in support of Israel. These days, that’s the best we can do.

Funny how life sometimes inspires those of us brave enough to keep our heads up. I mean, consider:

Yes, we’re in an economic crisis. Yes, we’re going into an uncertain future, with a debt measured in trillions of dollars.

Yes, we face a threat of terrorist attacks from within since our Government doesn’t seem to be willing to secure our borders not just from illegal Mexican and drug cartel invasions, but also from who-knows-how-many Muslim extremists disguise as our neighbors from the south?

Yes, we’re facing possibly the biggest recession or even depression with a novice President trying out his ideas on how to “Spend our way back to prosperity.”

Yes, we’re struggling to find our way in a world that seems to be working against itself.

Enough doom and gloom, already! It’s enough to make you want to roll up in a ball and just say, “OK, I quit!” But we don’t, because that’s not what made this country the envy of the world.

The wise person understands that it is in struggle that we find inspiration. It sometimes takes desperation to find hope. And, so often in loss, we see the potential for gain.

We find inspiration all around us. We see the potential that comes with stuggle and effort. Struggle and effort, not just to regain control of our country, our economy, and our careers, but control of our lives, our families, and our very souls.

My gift today for you, in hopes you will enter this week-end with hope and vision, is this amazing message:

“It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

After watching the video below, ask yourselves… “How am I going to finish? How are we, as a country going to finish? Do we give up? Or do we finish strong?”